Two Centuries
by NeverlandAwaits
Summary: Two hundred years have passed since the Winx Club attended Alfea, and while many different things have changed (including Alfea, although only slightly), the high spirits of the realms' fairies hasn't. However, this may be tested to the limit of one freshman fairy and her friends as they start heading into great danger.
1. Alfea

"So this is Alfea..."

I know fairies are often seen by other species as girly and all, but I still wasn't expecting the campus to be so incredibly pink. It has blue as well, but that just made the colour scheme clash. I mean, they're - oh, never mind, enough about that. The point is that I am starting my freshman year at Alfea, the school for gifted fairies.

Who am I, you ask? My name is Eponine and I'm from Solaria. Yeah, yeah, I know, "Oh my goodness, you're from Stella's home planet!" Congratulations, you're still obsessed with the Winx Club despite that they've been dead for over a hundred years. Don't freak out, they died from natural causes, also known as old age.

I walk through the gates and get my name marked off, then make my way to my dorm room. I'm sure I would have gotten lost if it wasn't for the map my brother had forced upon me, having 'edited' it before he returned to school at Red Fountain. He made sure to highlight everything so nothing is unclear to me. He is a very overprotective brother. Heck, he even went as far as getting some of his fairy friends to 'protect me', whatever that means.

Upon stumbling into my room (literally, may I add, damn shoelaces), I am surprised that I like what I see. The walls are a pale yellow, the furniture white and pale shades of pink and blue. Coming from Solaria, I like bright looking things. It comes in the DNA.

There are three beds in the room and I wasn't sure what to think about that. Being a shy person, I try to avoid most social contact, so having roommates is going to freak me out. Alright, I'm not going to lie, I'm starting to figure out why my brother is so protective.

I barely even set my luggage down on the nearest bed when I hear voices outside my door. Whoever they are, they seem to be arguing. The door opens and a strange looking blonde girl falls in, her blonde pigtails covering her face. She screams and waves her stripey-sock covered legs in the air, shrieking, "SOS! SOS!"

The other girl is still in the doorway, her red hair swishing as she walked in and stepped on the blonde's stomach. "Enough, Fern. We have company," she said, glancing at me.

I'm not going to lie, these guys kind of creep me out.

The blonde, who I assume is Fern, gets up and rushes to the yellow bed, which is right near the window. The red head just rolls her eyes and sets her stuff on the blue bed. She gives me a nod and says, "'Sup, you must be Eponine."

I felt my eyes widen. "How did you know that?"

"We're friends of your brother," she says. "My brother goes to Red Fountain with him, so he asked me to find a friend that's studying here as well and look after you." She looks over at Fern. "She was the best I could find. I don't really have friends."

I groan. "I thought Jeremiah would have the decency to get friends around his age to check up on me once and a while, not fairies that would share the same room and classes as me."

"I don't like this any more than you do, honey. Don't get me wrong, you're alright, but if I screw up your beloved brother is going to send me back to my home planet with a catapult," the red head says, jumping on her bed so her back is lying against the pillows.

Even though I know I'm going to regret this, I say, "Don't worry about it. As long as we can all be friends, it's cool."

Fern jumps around on her bed and shrieks, "Sure!"

I look over at the other girl whose face is now almost completely hidden by her magazine. "What about you, uh..."

"Carissa," she says without putting the magazine down, "and sure, if I must join in."

Even though she said that, I can still see her smile when she lowers the magazine a little.

* * *

Fern, being the bubbly and energetic girl she is, forced us to explore the campus with her. In my opinion, there isn't much to explore, since all the classrooms were off limits until classes started next week. We go to the gardens and around the perimeter as well as the quadrangle. Eventually, we arrive near the front of the school. Fern runs up to some other students who seem older than us. I start to back away, but Carissa takes my arm and pulls me along.

"Dude, calm down, they're our friends." When I glare at her, she says, "Alright, yes, we know them through your brother, but that doesn't mean they're evil."

The older students look at Carissa and I as we approach them. There are two of them, and I could have sworn that I've seen them in my brother's pictures before. Getting closer, I realize I was right - there was the cheerful-looking tall girl and the tough blonde my brother had pointed out to me only a couple of weeks ago. Their names escape me at this moment.

"Eponine, this is Belladonna," Fern introduces, gesturing to the tall girl, "and this is Ashlyn," she continues, pointing to the blonde.

Well, I didn't have to wait long for their names at least.

Belladonna waves with a grin and says, "I'm a senior, Epi - can I call you Epi? - so if you have any questions about the campus or classes, come to me. I know pretty much everything."

"Alright, step away from the freshmen," Ashlyn says, smirking. "Belladonna thinks she knows everything, but she really doesn't. Even I know more than her, and I'm just a sophomore She's just practicing her boasting for when Kennith comes-"

"Oi!" Belladonna hits Ashlyn in the head making the smaller girl wince. "Kennith has nothing to do with my intelligence."

"Sure, sure." Ashlyn looks behind Carissa and I and her smoke grows wider. "Speaking of boys from Red Fountain..." She gestures behind me and I turn around. Sure enough, there are boys in specialist uniforms riding bikes on their way to the gates. The only one I can see clearly is the brunette in front, who appears to be speeding.

Letting go of my arm, Carissa storms up to the gates, muttering something about her brother. Ashlyn comes up beside me and says, "Don't worry about her, it's just her brother speeding up in front there. She's been getting on his case ever since she could talk. She was going through withdrawal symptoms last year because he started at Red Fountain, doing things while not under her watchful eye."

"So he got into a whole lot of trouble, then?" I ask.

Ashlyn chuckles. "Nah, Carissa asked me to keep an eye on him, so I did. He even called me worse than her at times." She starts running to catch up with Carissa, yelling, "Hey, Connor! Long time no see, dude!"

I ran to catch up with everyone else, who are all speaking with Carissa's brother, who I gather is Connor. As I approach, Connor looks at me. "Hey, you're Eponine, right? Jeremiah's little sister?"

I give a forced smile. "The one and only."

He is about to question me some more when the other riders pull up behind him. The first one to get off is the tallest and he appears breathless as he takes his helmet off. "How is it that you can ride faster safely even better than I can even though I'm a senior," he asks Connor.

Connor shrugs. "I just have more skills than you, Kennith."

As the other boys - three to be exact - stepped off their bikes, I couldn't help but notice one of them, with his blonde hair and bright blue eyes-

Fern nudges me and I snap out of my trance. She whispers, giggling, "You like Beta!"

"No, I don't," I whisper back, then proceed to ignore her while she goes to talk to the smallest biker (who appears to be Beta's older twin brother Alpha) and I focus on Carissa and her conversation with one of the other boys.

"How am I a bad influence on your brother?" he is asking, his forehead creased.

Carissa makes a noise like she is choking and sneezing at the same time. "Oh, come on, Oscar! Don't you dare give me that crap! You were the one that broke the law for speeding back at their home planet, then you got involved with those idiot seniors last year and forced my brother to as well! How about the time you crashed one of Alfea's celebrations and almost got my brother killed from pushing him off a ledge on your way to escape? Get away from me, you brat."

As Carissa walks away, Oscar says, "Yeah, _I'm_ the brat." Nonetheless, I can't help but notice the small look of hurt in his face.

I sigh. This is going to be a louder year than I was expecting.

* * *

_Just something I decided to write. Many other stories include the Winx's children and all, but I didn't really want to do that, instead going for a time even further away, almost 200 years. This chapter is pretty much just to set the scene and all. Hope you enjoyed! Review! ^_^_


	2. The Figure in Black

"Fairies of Alfea, as you may or may not know, it is a tradition to celebrate the start of the semester with a celebration between us and Red Fountain."

Carissa groans and I pat her on the back. It has been around a month since we started at Alfea and everything is going quite smoothly (other than the recent attitude of Carissa concerning the boys, but that was something you just had to get used to). My powers have been developing quite nicely, though it's too soon to tell how much improvement is going to occur throughout the year.

Headmistress Quill continues, "It will be this Friday, which is tomorrow. I'm sure you will all be wonderful hosts as you have been for many years. Remember to enjoy yourselves, okay?"

The assembly is concluded and everyone goes back to eating their breakfast. That is, unless your name is Carissa. Then you let your head fall into your cereal.

"Carissa, come on, the guys aren't so bad," Belladonna says.

"Not all of them are, Bella. Just the mongrel," Carissa growls, raising her face and revealing the little pieces of cereal stuck on her cheeks. "Oscar."

Ashlyn hits the red head with her spoon. "You know, just because you hear rumours doesn't mean they're true. I mean, people were always saying that I was the one who filled the teachers' staff-room with laughing gas, but that wasn't true."

"Yes it was," Carissa accuses, "I saw you do it."

"That's beside the point, Carissa dear."

I decide to tune the two of them out as they start to bicker back and forth, instead turning to listen to Belladonna and Fern.

"What are you going to wear?" Belladonna asks. Her expression reminds me of the way mother looks when she's thinking about her days at Alfea. "I absolutely love parties and balls and celebrations." Her expression darkens. "If Kennith doesn't ask to dance with me this year, I will send him into an abyss of no return."

Fern raises an eyebrow and says in her little high-pitched voice, "You mean he hasn't asked you in the amount of years you guys have been here?"

I'm surprised too. From what I've been told, the two are interested in each other, and have been for years. I say, "Why don't you ask him to dance?"

Belladonna sighs. "Tradition. We're from the same planet, you see. Romulea is its name. It is customary for the man to ask the woman to dance, and it has been like that for years. He knows that, yet doesn't do anything."

I could simply say that traditions could be broken, but I don't know how offensive that is to others, especially when they're not from Solaria. One thing I have learned is that you can't insult another culture. I've heard that in non-magical areas it's tamer than it is in Magix. With powers that most people can't predict, it's too dangerous to throw around insults.

As soon as I am finished, I tell the others I'm leaving and go to class. I normally don't go this early, but I want to make sure I have everything in order for Metamorphosimbiosis class. It's the only class I've been lacking in lately, so I need to practice.

I'm about to get myself ready for transformation when I hear something knocking on the window. I shriek and jump around, only breathing again once I see that it's only Beta. I haven't seen him since my first day, but I still remember his mischievous smile. I roll my eyes, but smile and open the window nonetheless.

"Shouldn't you be at Red Fountain?" I ask.

Beta shrugs. "Doesn't worry me. There's no point in me going to hero school anyway. I only went 'cause Alpha wanted to and our parents aren't bothered sending us to separate places."

I sit down in my designated seat and say, "Well, that sucks, but you still have the guys and us."

Beta lies on the teacher's desk, which is empty, thankfully. "That's true," he says, shutting his eyes."

"So," I start, "what made me worthy of this visit, good sir?"

My companion sits up again. "Eh, I was just passing through and I saw you. Luckily, you weren't with Carissa, 'cause she'd murder me and call me a bad influence on her brother."

I laugh. "She probably would. You should see the absolute tantrum she's conducting in the cafeteria."

We both laugh this time as the bell rings. I say, "You should get going. Carissa will be here soon."

* * *

Classes pass by without any problems, though I realize they were waiting for me as soon as the bell rang. They arrive in the form of Belladonna, who is carrying a handbag in one hand and a disgruntled Ashlyn in the other.

"We're going dress shopping this afternoon whether you like it or not!"

Out of the five of us, only Belladonna and Fern are excited as we travel to the city. I have to admit, I'm a little full of suspense. I've never been to the city in Magix before, though I'd heard Jeremiah talk about it whenever he came home for the holidays. I had always wanted to go there, and now I have the chance, even if it is for dress shopping, which I despise.

When Fern announces our arrival, I run into the city and stare. It's even better than I imagined, with its large shops and bright lights, despite it being broad daylight. I try not to jump up and down, but it's extremely hard. I never knew I could be this excited before, though it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

"So where are the shops around here?" I ask, swiveling around to face Belladonna.

Belladonna puffs out her chest proudly and steps in front of me. "Follow me!"

As we walk around, I stare in awe at the different places in Magix, and although we have places like these in Solaria, I had never been anywhere outside of my realm before. This was a new experience for me, even more so than Alfea. It is only when Belladonna pushes us all into a fancy-looking shop that my giddy feeling ebbs away to be replaced by panic. I hate shopping with others because I feel that I'll make a fool out of myself.

I follow the others inside and look around at the dresses. Absolutely every style, colour, and size is covered, and I can feel myself being drawn to different outfits I would never have even considered wearing before I started at Alfea. I'm studying a golden-yellow dress when Belladonna skips up next to me.

"Found anything you like, Epi?" she asks.

I give her an exasperated expression. "They're all so good, Bella, I can't choose."

Belladonna pulls out the dress I was just inspecting and hands it to me. "You were right to take interest in this one, you know. It suits your tan complexion."

She waves me towards one of the fitting rooms and take a deep breath as I close the door. I change, making sure not to crease the dress, not even a fraction. I look at myself in the mirror, then take another breath as I walk into the vision of judgmental eyes - the shopkeeper's, to be exact.

The girl, who can't be any older than my brother, looks at me and my friends as they step out of their own change rooms. I take a second look at the dress, just to make sure everything is sorted properly. The halterneck straps aren't digging into my skin and the hemline is just in the right spot above my knees. I breathe a sigh of relief as the shopkeeper nods at me and tends to Ashlyn's strapless dress problem.

After changing and purchasing my dress, I stop to look at the others as they sort their outfits out. Belladonna looks very elegant, her pale pink dress showing off her style - slight ruffles and no sleeves. Ashlyn is in a strapless gown, the torso being purple and the rest being black. Fern is putting the finishing touches on her green party dress, and even Carissa seems to be satisfied with her blue quarter-sleeved dress. They all look stunning, so I give them all a thumbs up.

The others purchase what they need and we say thank you to the shopkeeper, who smiles sweetly as we walk out. I breathe a giant sigh of relief as I smell the outdoor air. Fern laughs at me and I blush, embarrassed that someone has sensed my discomfort.

"Come on, let's go get some pizza," Ashlyn says, already starting to walk away from us.

* * *

The next day, the day of the celebration, came around quickly and I wish it hadn't. Everyone was constantly talking about it wherever they went - the classrooms, the cafeteria, the quadrangle. Now they're talking about it in the main room where we're all waiting for the students of Red Fountain.

I block it out and listen to Carissa complain once again.

"The sooner they get here, the sooner I can go to bed," she whines.

"It's only seven, Carissa, calm down," Ashlyn says, twirling around an empty glass.

Headmistress Quill walks in with a middle aged man. Behind the two of them I can see the blue of the specialist uniforms. I haven't seen them that much, but they still make me cringe. They look like an army of superheroes, though I guess that's what they are.

I don't bother listening to the formalities, only waiting for the impending doom that was about to come.

"Hey, isn't that Jeremiah?"

One Mississippi.

"Yeah, I think it is. Hey, Jeremiah! Over here!"

Two Mississippi.

"Hey, guys. Oh, and hey little sis', how's Alfea?"

Three Mississippi.

I turn to face my brother with a scowl on my face. "It's very good, Jeremiah, alright? There's no need to check up on me. Your bodyguards have been doing a fantastic job."

Fern leans over and whispers to me, "I thought we were friends."

"We are," I assure her. "I'm just mad at him. I'm always mad at him."

I hear Jeremiah sigh and look up at him again. "I'm only trying to protect you, Eponine. You can't blame me for that."

I stand up, my fists clenched. "Yes I can! Forcing your friends to look after me is not only inconsiderate towards me, but them as well. They have studies to handle as well as their own training. I'm not a baby anymore, so just get lost for once."

I push past him, ignoring him as he calls out to me. I know I made a bit of a scene back there, but I couldn't help it. The only reason I have friends is because he made them promise to protect me, and while I see them as my real friends, I just wish that I had made them myself.

To make sure I'm as far away from my brother as possible, I go out into the hallway. I look out the window into the night sky. I usually don't like the night, since the tolerance to the suns in Solaria is in my DNA, but tonight I am in awe at the sparkling stars. I didn't know there were so many stars around here. It's probably not like that at Cloud Tower, though I wouldn't know. I've only heard of the place.

"Eponine?" a voice asks behind me.

For a split second I think that it's my brother, but then I notice the voice is a little higher. I turn and see Beta leaning on the wall behind me.

"Oh, hey, I didn't see you there," I say, smiling softly.

He comes up beside me and leans on the windowsill. "Why aren't you inside?"

"Overbearing older brother," I reply. "What about you?"

"The same," he says. "You've met my brother Alpha, right?"

I nod. "Briefly, but yes, I have."

He looks at me and starts to say something, but he is interrupted by a loud thumping noise upstairs. We exchange looks, but I break it off by running upstairs. I hear Beta call out for me and my friends entering the hallway as I leave it. The next thing I know, they're right next to me, Beta explaining what we heard only seconds ago.

The hallway is dark, but I can see the the outline of a figure in black running away from us. I transform into my fairy form and feel a rush of energy inside me. I fly after her, not caring that I may hit things on the way. The others follow suit (with the exception of Beta, of course). We back the figure into a corner and it hits me that this person probably doesn't know the place well. The figure is a girl, I realize, and she is carrying a silver and red sword in one of her hands. Ashlyn and Beta lunge for her, but hot steam gets in their way. I cough and wave away the steam, but it's too late. She's melted into a puddle of goo.

We all look at each other with shocked expressions as the teachers clamber up the stairs to find out what is going on.

* * *

_I hope you liked this chapter. I'm sorry for all the girly dances and things early on, but I wanted to set the scene a little more. Review! ^_^_


	3. Research

"So tell me exactly what you saw."

The girls, Beta, and I are sitting in Headmistress Quill's office. With her is Headmaster Lenox from Red Fountain. They are both looking at us grimly, making it hard for me to speak. I don't like being stared at like that. I open my mouth to speak, but Carissa beats me to it.

"We were looking for Eponine, since she went outside when her brother arrived, which-" I growl and she gets the message to not speak about my brother. "Well, we found her out in the hallway, and just as we did we heard this banging from upstairs, so all of us ran up to see what it was in case someone needed help. There was this girl there, dressed all in black, carrying this red and silver sword a-"

"Red and silver sword?" Headmaster Lenox looks aghast, his eyes wide in fear.

Carissa sinks into her chair and crosses her arms. "Is everyone going to interrupt me when I speak?"

"And this girl, whoever she was, stole that sword? She got away?" Headmistress Quill asks.

Ashlyn nods slowly. "Yeah, she did. What's so important about that sword?"

The two headmasters look at each other, though they aren't hiding anything. It's obvious that they're worried, and if the authorities are worried, we should be too. I look at the others, who seem as lost as I am. That is, except for Belladonna, who appears to be thinking hard. Either way, I don't think we're going to get an answer here, so I stand up and dismiss myself, the others following my lead. We all enter the hallway where I am bombarded by my brother. Of course.

"Eponine? Are you okay? Are you hurt?" He makes a grab for me but I dodge.

"Goodness, Jeremiah! The fact that I'm a grown girl doesn't even register in your brain anymore. Am I in the infirmary? No, I'm not. I'm fine." I growl at him and he actually steps back for once. I give him one more glare and stand next to Belladonna, who still seems to be lost in thought.

"What's up, Bella?" I ask, tapping her shoulder.

She looks at me and sighs. "I've heard a story about that sword before. I'm trying to remember it, but no luck so far."

I smile at her. "You'll remember, I'm sure."

I look at the others, and it appears all the boys have come up to see what is going on. Most of them are speaking to Beta, with the exception of Connor, who's making sure his sister is alright. Kennith breaks from the group to speak to Belladonna quietly, so I stand next to Fern and wait for everyone to calm down. When everyone is finished with their fussing, I suggest we go back downstairs to the ballroom, where the celebration is still being held for the unsuspecting students. I envy them, I really do. I never wanted to have to fight someone, but alas, that was how it ended up.

It did feel kind of cool, though, even if we lost.

"Let's go back to the ballroom," Fern says, already running down the stairwell, Beta and Alpha at her heels. I laugh and follow them back down to the celebration. There really is nothing like a good celebration to cheer you up.

* * *

The days pass by and nothing strange happens other than Headmistress Quill not appearing at breakfast in the mornings and Headmaster Lenox has been paying more visits. It makes me worry, I'm not going to lie. Belladonna has also been in the library, sometimes not coming back for lunch or dinner. Even Kennith has heard, and he is pretty worried.

About two weeks after the incident, Belladonna runs in during dinner, a book in her hand and a smile one her face. I move over so she can sit down and explain about what she was doing and what the old, ancient-looking, dusty book is doing around our clean food.

"What did you find out?" Ashlyn asks. "Or read. Or discover. I don't really know what you were doing."

"I found the story behind the sword!" Belladonna whispers excitedly, and I'm glad she did, as the whole dining room would hear her if she spoke in her normal voice.

Fern pouts. "Can we at least finish our food first?"

Belladonna shrugs and everyone starts eating again. I don't, having been closest when the dust went flying. When everyone is finished, Carissa, Fern, and I lead the others back up to our dorm room, being the most private place to talk. I sit on my bed next to Ashlyn as Belladonna opens the book, ignoring Carissa's complaints about getting dust on her bed.

"Alright, I'll just read what it says," starts Belladonna, and I lean in to hear better. "'A hundred years ago, as Alfea and Red Fountain both celebrated their anniversary, the headmasters at the time decided to unite the two schools by manifesting magic into a noble object. This object was named the Salfer Sword, a sword with a red hilt and a silver blade. Not only was it spectacularly made, but it granted the wielder a strength and agility buff. With the crowning of the Red Fountain Headmaster and the magic of the Alfea Headmistress, not only were these abilities intensified, but the sword was granted new buffs: a bravery mind-link, making the wielder's subconscious braver, and the power of elemental magic, which could be used with motions of the sword.

"'The sword was moved between the schools at the beginning of every school year, making sure the symbol of the school's bond was shared. While this tradition is still upheld between the headmasters, the students are informed very little about this sword, as it means more to the headmasters than the students themselves.'"

Belladonna closes the book and says, "That was it."

"So now we know what the sword can be used for, and pretty much why it was stolen: for power. Why does that girl need power?" I ask, biting my nail.

Carissa shrugs. "You know, she could just be a minion doing a job for someone more powerful than her," she says, and I groan.

"Yeah, that's just what we need - someone powerful with or without the sword."

Fern, who looks serious for the first time since the incident, says, "Maybe we should tell the boys. Or at least Beta. I mean, he was involved."

"I'm cool with that," I say, "as long as we don't tell Jeremiah. You know what he'll do if he knows that I know. The restrictions on me are going to increase like they never have before."

Belladonna purses her lips before saying, "Alright, but only because I know how severe he can be. Besides, we have other things to worry about. We know about what the sword is and what it can do, but what are we going to do about it?" She shakes her head. "Anyway, we can tell the boys tonight. Apparently, they're stopping by, guarding Headmaster Lenox. I don't know why, but have you noticed that the security in this place has been updated lately?"

I have noticed. There are professional fairy guards standing outside the school and we've been reminded of the emergency evacuation and lockdown sequences three times this week. "Yeah, it's really annoying, but I guess I can understand. They targeted Alfea to get the sword, so who knows if they're going to target Alfea when they attack."

"They," Carissa says, raising an eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure we confirmed it was a she."

I scowl at her. "You just said she could be working for someone else."

"Oh, right."

* * *

Not even an hour later, the boys arrive. I wait out the front with Ashlyn as they speed nearer, circling around Headmaster Lenox in a protective stance. Is it even possible to have a stance while on a motorcycle? Who knows?

When they arrive, Headmaster Lenox nods at the guard fairies, then at us, and walks towards the closest door on the way to Headmistress Quill's office. The boys look at us and raise their eyebrows. I look at Ashlyn and she speaks.

"We have some information."

We lead them up to an empty classroom where the other girls are waiting for us. They greet the boys as we sit down and Belladonna explains everything she read. She answers all the questions she knows the answers to, which to be honest, isn't all that many. She knows as much as all of us, and I'm still completely clueless.

"That's some information," Alpha says, but then smirks. "We can take her! We can take her _easy_."

I see Beta roll his eyes and I restrain myself from doing the same. I can see why Beta is at odds with his brother now. I won't hold it against him, though. A good attitude adjustment, probably from Carissa or Ashlyn, and that guy wouldn't be bragging anymore.

"So that"s what you were doing in the library all that time," Kennith mutters, glancing in Belladonna's direction. She either doesn't hear him or pretends not to, as she doesn't reply. I wonder if she even remembers that he's there, since he didn't say a word until just then.

"What exactly are we going to do about it?" Oscar demands, standing up with such force that he almost knocks over Carissa, who's sitting next to him.

"Oi!" she yells, extending her fist towards his arm, but it doesn't bother him.

Kennith and Belladonna look at each other, apparently having some sort of discussion with their eyes. I've always wanted to have that bond with someone, but alas, it hasn't happened yet. Belladonna turns to us and says something I never thought she could say with such ferocity.

"We take her _down_."

* * *

_I hope you liked this chapter, since we're starting to get into the action a bit now. Review! ^_^_


	4. Antiques

Even though she doesn't seem like the type, Fern is a girl who becomes jealous _very_ easily. The only problem is that she has no idea what exactly she is feeling at the time, stuck wondering why she feels that way. She doesn't think it's fair that she has this feeling more than others, especially when she sees people paying a lot of attention to someone else.

Like now.

It isn't that she wants them to pay attention to her and help her carry her shopping bags as she walks around Magix, but that they would at least stop paying attention to Alpha, who happens to be flaunting off his muscles (which Fern hardly believes are there). She feels herself wanting to attack them all, rationalizing it as saving them from Alpha's playboy attitude, which was something she had come to discover through Jeremiah, who knows a lot about the twins.

Before she's even aware, she's storming up to the boy, who doesn't even see her coming. She gives a nasty looking grin to the girls and says, "Sorry, ladies. Loverboy has to come with me for a bit." She grabs Alpha's shirt and pulls him away and into the nearest store, a lovely place of antiques and rare items.

"Fern, what the hell?" Alpha asks as they move to the back of the store, away from other customers' hearing range.

Fern places her hands on her hips and says, "What do you think you're doing, you idiot? I thought Kennith told you to go and search the shops for the sword."

"He did," Alpha says, smirking. "I just took a detour, that's all."

Fern scoffs. "Just keep your mind on the job at hand. The whole realm could be in danger and you're worried about which muscle looks good from which angle."

Alpha only grins in response and says, "I'm sure you could tell me which angle looks the best, right?"

"I'm not one of your stupid fangirls," Fern grumbles. "How do you even have fangirls, anyway? It's been two months, sure, but still! You're only a freshman. You're not cool enough to have girls fawning over you."

Alpha scowls and opens his mouth to say something, but he stops and looks over Fern's shoulder, his mouth still open. She starts to ask what is wrong, but he pushes his finger against her lips to shush her. She glares at him, but he motions with his head to look behind her. She does and sees someone she hadn't expected to, but accepts it nonetheless.

"Headmaster Lenox?" Fern whispers. "What's the big deal? He's old, of course he likes antiques."

Alpha shakes his head and takes her hand, dragging her to a place where the headmaster wouldn't spot from his current position. He glances once at the place they just were, then says, "Headmaster Lenox has told us about three times that he prefers modern things to older things. Something about them bringing up old memories freaking him out or something." He shrugs. "Why would he be here of all places?"

Fern peers around a stack of old books and watches Lenox, studying his movements. He has his back to her, but she notices that his hands are on a book on a shelf on the other side of the room. He looks around, so she quickly moves away. Once she gains the courage to look again, she sees him give a nod to the shop owner, then open the book, which envelopes him in a golden light until he disappears.

She looks up to see Alpha's head right above hers, so she moves away quickly and says, "That was just too weird. We should tell the others."

* * *

I'm sitting on the front steps with the others, minus Fern and Alpha, who have apparently both gone to Magix. We haven't made much headway on our research yet because most people we know have no obvious motive for wanting to steal or use the sword. Everybody is so normal, and while I would normally love that about someone, I can't stand it now. Can we please just have one abnormality?

"Hey, what's up with them?" I hear Ashlyn ask. I look up to see her looking the directions on the gates, so I turn to see Fern and Alpha running at us at full speed. They seem like they have been running for a long time.

When they arrive in front of us, panting, Kennith throws them a bottle of water for them to drain, then Fern starts speaking.

"We saw Headmaster Lenox in an antique store-"

"What the hell were you doing in an antique store?" Beta asks his twin, but I nudge him to be quiet as Fern gives him a death glare.

"Anyway, we were in there because it was the only place where I could talk to Alpha without his fangirls. Headmaster Lenox walked in, then went to one of these books on the other side of the store. He opened it, and in a flash of golden light he was gone," Fern explains.

Oscar shakes his head. "I don't think he's our man. He was in the ballroom throughout the entire thing. Besides, it was a girl you guys saw running through the halls, not a man."

Alpha says, "We never said we were accusing him, but you have to admit that it's suspicious. He could be doing it to help get the sword back just as much as he might be doing it to gain it for himself."

"It could always have been someone on his side who took the sword to divert suspicion off of himself," says Belladonna, and Kennith whispers something to her. They begin arguing in low voices, but I ignore them as I know full well that they will make up in the end.

Ashlyn smirks. "You know that there's only one way to sort this out, right?"

Her and Connor's faces becoming mirror images of each other and I suddenly have a bad feeling about this.

* * *

"I can't believe we're doing this."

I'm currently sneaking around Magix, which is something I had never intended on doing tonight. Most girls would be studying, sleeping, or even gossiping with their roommates. I would give anything to be one of them right now. I mean, really, is it necessary to go after Headmaster Lenox? No, no it isn't. While I want to get to the bottom of this mystery, I don't want to break a thousand rules by doing so.

Beta saunters up beside me and nudges me. "C'mon, Eponine, it'll be fun!"

"I seriously doubt that," I reply, crossing my arms.

He grabs my hand, not letting go as I protest, and leads me to the Antique Store. Fern and Alpha are in the lead, arguing about which way to go, not even realizing that they are right in front of our destination. It is quite typical for the two of them to do that.

Ashlyn walks up to the two of them and bangs their heads together, making me want to laugh, but the risk of being caught stops me. She whispers loudly, "What are you doing, you idiots? We're right here, aren't we? This is the only antique place in Magix."

Fern and Alpha rub their heads as Ashlyn picks the lock with a bobby pin. That just proves that you don't need magic for everything in life.

The door unlocks with a click and Ashlyn beckons for us to follow her inside. She lets only Fern pass her, and I assume it's so her and Alpha don't butt heads again (literally). I wait for everyone to shuffle in and enter myself once Beta holds the door open for me. I smile at him briefly and follow the others. The book in question is at the back left corner of the store, and I almost trip over the clutter of antiques stashed against the wall. I hesitate to grumble, but do anyway, provoking a little chuckle from bother Beta and Connor.

Fern stops at the small table the book is laid on. We all gather around it silently, and I use this opportunity to focus on the book itself. It has no words - or, not any that we can understand anyway. They are simply a bunch of random letters strewn together. I frown, but Fern and Alpha don't seem so discouraged.

"Okay, so he touched the page like this," Fern says, laying her right hand down on the page.

"How are the rest of us going to get in?" Oscar questions, raising his eyebrow.

Fern bites the fingernails on her left hand, a sign that she is either nervous, thinking, or both. She stops after a few seconds and clicks her fingers. I assume she has an idea.

"Holding hands. If we're all holding onto each other, kind of like a conga line, we'll be able to enter!" She seems so proud of herself that I don't show my doubt.

All of us join hands, and I can feel how sweaty my palms are once they come into contact with Beta and Connor's. I hope they don't mind as I close my eyes and feel a gentle wind run through my hair and down my body.

* * *

_I really hoped you enjoyed this installment, guys! There's some insight to the other characters and the plot is finally going! Reviewing would be great._


	5. Splitting Survival Techniques

As I feel myself being lifted of the ground and thrown into a place I don't dare to look at, I hear Connor shout something that is lost in the wind. I want to open my eyes and see what caused him to be so flustered, but the force of the wind keeps them shut. Connor's grip on my hand becomes looser, so I pull him back, though he seems to be struggling.

The wind dies down and I can hear Connor yell out, "We're going to land!" As soon as I open my eyes, I land on grass and hear a crack, which I assume is one of my bones being sprained or broken. I groan and sit up, holding my head as I see purple light dancing in front of my eyes.

"You okay?" Beta asks us.

I rub my eyes and look around. We are in a small forest clearing, or at least I assume that we are. The trees are tall and the shadows indicate that they go on for ages. The grass is untamed and it itches my back. I look at Beta, then at Connor, and finally realize.

"Where are the others?"

"You didn't hear me shout?" asks Connor. He has a gash on his forehead, but he seems okay for the most part.

I nod. "I did, but I didn't open my eyes until we landed just then. I guess we got separated?"

Connor nods and Beta coughs from the other side of me. He had taken some grass to the face once we landed. I try not to laugh, but it slips out anyway, earning me a pout from the twin.

I sigh and stand up, looking for a way to leave. There's a path right behind us, leading further into the forest. I point to it and say, "That's our only route, guys."

Connor stands up and frowns. "I let go of my sister's hand, and I'm pretty sure she and Oscar ended up together not too far from us. I could be wrong, though, and I have no idea where the others are."

"We better start going," Beta says, leading us forward.

I attempt to walk on my ankle, but end up giving a small yelp as I do so. Beta looks back at me, worried apparently, and lends me his shoulder. I smile at him and lean on him, hopping all the way to the beginning of the path.

* * *

Carissa feels like she is going to die.

Her head hurts, she has a deep gash on her forearm, and her torso feels like it's been kicked multiple times. She tries to sit up but is pushed down gently by someone not in her field of vision. "Take it easy."

She would recognize that voice anywhere. "Oscar? Out of all the people I could get separated with I end up with you? That's just great."

"It didn't stop you from holding onto me for dear life before we landed," he says, and she can just imagine his smirk.

She attempts to sit up again, and while the ground is spinning, she can still see Oscar once she turns around. Despite finding him completely and utterly irritating, she fusses, "Are you alright? I didn't land on you, did I?" Once her world stops moving, she sees that he has a cut on his cheek. She reaches and and touches it, making him wince. "I'm sorry about that."

Oscar shakes his head. "I'm fine, and you didn't land on me. I landed on you, actually. No idea how you got that, though," he says, gesturing towards her wounded arm.

Carissa shrugs. "I don't care, let's get going."

Oscar looks as if he is going to protest, but he shuts his mouth and stands up, helping her up. The two start to walk in silence, and while it isn't awkward, Carissa knows that if she tries to speak to him it will be. The two have never been on good terms, only interacting when her brother is involved. She always wonders why her brother would hang out with someone who constantly got into trouble with teachers and other authority figures.

"Do you remember when we first met?" he asks, and she looks up at him in surprise.

"You mean when you came over for a few days when your parents chucked you out and you needed somewhere to stay? Yes, I do," she says, her words sour.

He winces and she notices, happy that she won for once. Then he combats her tone. "You still need to apologize for back then."

She stops in her tracks and spins on her heels. She doesn't want to do anything more than karate chop him into a black hole, but she knows she can't. There isn't a black hole for miles.

"I need to apologize? I need to apologize?! You're the idiot who - nevermind, forget it." She shoves him with her shoulder as she storms past him, not bothering to wait for him to follow.

She knows he has followed her a few minutes later, when he says, "Yes, you're the one at fault. You judged me without a second glance."

She whirls around. "And was any of that judgement actually false?" He doesn't answer. "That's what I thought."

"But you didn't even give me a chance, Carissa," he says, meeting her eyes.

"I felt that there wasn't a need for one, Oscar."

The two start arguing, their loud volume making the birds in the trees above them scatter in a hurry to leave. Carissa doesn't even know what she's saying anymore, but if she wins this argument, she couldn't care less. They keep going for what feels like hours until they hear a high pitched scream echo from a far distance.

"That sounded like Belladonna," Carissa says, and without another word, she races in the direction of the yell.

"Carissa!" Oscar calls, running after her.

* * *

"I can't believe you'd think Professor Lenox would steal something so important."

Belladonna sighs as she and Kennith travel along a beach. There is sand everywhere, leading up to a grassy hill and a forest. The waves are calm and cool against her feet, which have no shoes after they flew off while they were landing. However, she can't calm down thanks to the little voice snapping at her.

"Kennith, please, I already told you. I don't want to think he did it. I'm only being realistic. What good is it to everyone else if we shut out plausible ideas because of our own personal views?" she asks, not looking back at the boy behind her.

Kennith jogs up beside her. "But it can't be him! It just can't be. He's been my mentor for years, even when I was a young child, I can't just..."

Sensing his pain, she put a hand on his shoulder, making him look at her. "I don't want to believe that he did it either, believe me, but it's too hard to rule out any possibilities yet."

Kennith smiles at her, taking her hand and holding it as he replies, "I know, Bella. I know. He _raised_ me..."

Belladonna doesn't say a word, only holding his hand tighter as she walks along the beach. She wants to find the others, honestly and truly, but she also wants this moment to last, even if it is something simple and they could be in possible danger. For years now, she has been Kennith's friend, always letting him lean on her for support, especially with his parents leaving him at such a young age. She never had an experience like his, and while she knows that she probably never will, she wants to be there for them no matter what happens.

"What's that in the water?" she hears Kennith ask. She follows his gaze and sees a dark shadow looming about in the shallows of the water. She smiles uneasily at him, then lets go of his hand to run to the shadow. She accidentally steps on it in her rush, but it feels like sand on her feet, not anything solid at all.

She frowns as Kennith says, "What is it?"

"I don't -"

And then she screams.

* * *

_Yes! A cliffhanger! This chapter, I wanted to focus on the histories between the other characters as well as proceed with descriptions and plot, so I hope I did a good job! Reviews would be lovely._


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